Dr. H. Randall Dozier called the meeting to order at 11:30 am. He then asked Mrs. Ashley Jacobs to call the roll. Dr. Dozier then noted for the record that media notification had been made in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, and that a quorum was present.

Dr. Dozier presented the minutes of the June 17, 2011 Board Meeting to the Board for approval. Mr. W. Coleman made a motion for the minutes to be approved. The motion was seconded by Mr. Eddie Gunn. The minutes received unanimous approval by the Board.

Academic Affairs and Accreditation Committee:

Mrs. Gail Richardson reported that competition among universities has increased and new students decide if they are going to be happy within the first few weeks. Student Affairs has been working on getting students involved in organizations and activities to encourage loyalty. Then, Mrs. Richardson announced that the Pee Dee Fiction and Poetry Festival will be held during the time of the next board meeting November 9-11 and is being coordinated by Dr. Rebecca Flannagan. In addition, there will be a reception for authors held on the evening of November 10.

Mrs. Richardson then reported that the Nursing program had a 100% pass rate and that the first steps in the approval process for the Nurse Practitioner program have been completed. Next, she stated that the School of Education hosted a Teach for America reception on August 2, 2011 which was well attended by 30 new TFA teachers. FMU and TFA plan to increase the number of teachers by 30 every year. Mrs. Richardson concluded her report by commending the Library for being an electronic hub for students.

Development and Alumni Committee:

Mr. Tracy Freeman began by giving a Non-Profit Leadership Institute update. The Development & Foundation staff reviewed the previous nine years of NPLI and provided the committee background demographics on the participants. September 2011 will be the 10year anniversary of NPLI. Mr. Freeman then gave a Rural Leadership Institute update. The new initiative will kick off on September 15th and almost 40 nominees have been received. The staff will contact all of the nominees to determine their interest and availability.

Next, Mr. Tracy Freeman gave an Alumni Affairs report. He announced that the Student Alumni Association was recognized as Student Organization of the Year in 2011. He then encouraged the board members to participate in Freshman Move – In on August 20, 2011, with the Alumni Board and the Student Alumni Association. Then, in partnership with Student Affairs, the Student Alumni Association will host a Welcome Back Party open to all students.

Then, Mr. Freeman reported that Alumni events are being planned in the midlands, upstate and in the Pee Dee which will include; after hour socials, receptions, Patriot Power lunches and award ceremonies. The Biology alumni awards reception will be on October 18, 2011 in The Cottage and the Psychology alumni awards reception is to be determined. Patriot baseball alumni weekend is scheduled for October 1-2, 2011. Mr. Freeman ended his report with an update about social media. The FMU alumni Facebook page has 562 members and a page for the class of 2015 will be launched in soon.

Executive Affairs Committee:

Dr. Dozier reported that the executive committee met but no action was taken, however, he extended an invitation for the board and FMU staff to attend future executive committee meetings.

Financial Affairs and Facilities Committee:

Mr. George McIntyre began by referring to the budget summary. He reported that the University has received about 12% of its expected income for this fiscal year and that employee head count and FTE’s are stable. Financial assistance for undergraduate students is remaining at 83%.

Mr. McIntyre then presented Resolution 04-11, Resolution for Approval of Mutual Aid Agreements. Mr. McIntyre made a motion for the approval of Resolution 04-11. Mr. Frank Elmore seconded the motion. The resolution received unanimous approval by the Board.

Next, Mr. McIntyre gave a facilities update. He reported that the University received non-recurring funds totaling $965,000, from the Capital Reserve Fund to replace the HVAC system in the Library, repair the roof of the Smith University Center and paint Founders Hall. Then, Mr. McIntyre gave a Performing Arts Center update. The Certificate of Occupancy will be approved soon and a few minor details have to be completed before the opening Gala weekend September 9 – 11. Mr. McIntyre made some comments about the Athletic Complex. He praised the facility for being a great venue for sports, student and community activities. He thanked Mr. Murray Hartzler, Mr. Jay Kispert and Mrs. Teresa Cook for all of their hard work in executing the project. Mr. McIntyre concluded with an Erin Dining Hall update. He reported that EDH will be completed before the fall semester begins and that there will be more accessibility for handicap students. He thanked Project Manager, Mr. Mike Richey, for a job well done on this project.

Student Affairs and Athletics Committee:

Mr. Eddie Gunn began by announcing some important dates.

Student move in - August 20, 2011;

First day of classes - August 22, 2011;

First day of classes for Graduates - August 23, 2011;

Student Involvement Fair - September 1, 2011;

Labor Day - September 5, 2011 University will be closed in observance of this holiday; and Leadership FMU - September 19, 2011 through December 5, 2011.

Mr. Gunn then listed a number of activities scheduled throughout the fall semester including a pool party, Patriot on the Line and music bands.

Then, Mr. Gunn reported that the Athletics department plans to bring back former coach and alumnus, Sylvia Hatchel, and former FMU basketball player and alumnus, Pearl Moore, to teach leadership skills to student athletes in September 2011. Then, he announced the upcoming events for Athletics. There are many workshops scheduled for student athletes including: Writing, tutoring, public safety, alcohol abuse, nutrition, stress and resume writing. He reported that these workshops are to encompass the entire student and not just their talent for sports. Next, Mr. Gunn was pleased to state that the six year graduation rate of student athletes is significantly higher than the overall campus. Lastly, he reported that a new student handbook was produced and it includes: rules and regulations of athletics at Francis Marion University, what is expected of them and NCAA information.

President’s Report:

Dr. Fred Carter began by thanking the Trustees for participating in the tours of the athletic complex and the Performing Arts Center on August 4, 2011. He expressed satisfaction that they were able to get a real sense of what the two venues will provide to the University and the Pee Dee region.

Dr. Carter then reported that FMU will proceed with the necessary faculty approvals’ for the Nurse Practitioner program this fall. He stressed that this program will open the door for additional health and health related programs in the future at FMU.

Next, he thanked Mr. Tracy Freeman for his report about the upcoming alumni events and he stated that these events are made possible because of the alumni hosts in each location. He noted that these events are especially viable because they allow Alumni Affairs to meet alumni in those areas as well as meeting prospective students.

Then, Dr. Carter made some remarks about transparency and how it has been a strong priority of the General Assembly and the Governor. He noted that FMU was one of the first universities to put its institutional checkbooks online and in order to expand the trend further, future board meetings will be televised on Channel 11.

Dr. Carter then spoke briefly about the new athletic complex and the excitement surrounding its opening. He noted the first big event of the spring, the FMU - USC baseball game. Next, Dr. Carter briefly outlined some upcoming events and projects. In the fall, FMU will conduct feasibility studies to determine the appropriateness of two prospective programs. If the programs are deemed feasible, the proposals will be taken to the faculty, and then subsequently to the Board. One of the programs will be a joint Master of Public Administration degree with Coastal Carolina University. This will be the first joint program between FMU and Coastal Carolina. Both administrations see enormous potential with this collaborative MPA program and both are optimistic about pursuing the first joint degree between the universities. In addition, this fall FMU will begin exploring the possibility of a baccalaureate degree in Industrial Engineering which would be a cooperative program with Florence Darlington Technical College. As of now, there is not an engineering degree offered in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions of South Carolina, and he feels that it makes sense to explore the possibility of this collaborative undertaking.

Dr. Carter then briefed the Board about two other projects that will the university will consider this fall. The first project would be the expansion of The Cottage. The second project may involve building a new building designed to accommodate special programs such as the McNair Center, the International Studies Program, the Honors Program, the Center for Excellence, and the Center for Entrepreneurship. He noted that this project is still in the beginning stages, and we would have to develop architectural sketches, determine the cost, determine if there will be private contributions to support the project, and then ultimately formulate a proposal to bring to the Board.

Finally, Dr. Carter invited the Board to attend the lunch immediately following the today’s meeting.

Unfinished Business

Dr. Randy Dozier began by referring to the updated list of Committees and Officers. He noted that there have been a number of trustees newly appointed to the Executive Affairs Committee in addition to those chairing other committees. He stressed the importance of alternating trustees in leadership positions. Then, he announced that Mrs. Gail Richardson is the trustee appointee to the Strategic Planning Committee, and that Mr. Frank Elmore has also volunteered to serve on that committee. In addition, Mr. Ken Jackson has been appointed to the Performance Funding Planning Committee. He also stated that Dr. Kevin O’Kelly asked to be the Trustee liaison for the nursing program, and he plans to talk about that in greater detail at the November Board meeting.

Dr. Dozier then reported that there may be a couple of proposed amendments to the bylaws and he delegated that task to the Committee on Bylaws and Board Policy. Dr. Carter then reminded the Trustees that according to the bylaws, if the Board is to vote on the proposal at the November meeting, the proposals must be circulated throughout the Board at least 30 days in advance of the November meeting.

Dr. Dozier indicated that a major goal for the year is to have as much involvement and openness as possible. Finally, he thanked the board for their attendance and thanked Dr. Carter and the staff for their work in coordinating the board retreat, tours, social and board meeting.

New Business

Dr. Dozier made a motion to adjourn. Mrs. Gail Richardson seconded the motion. The Board adjourned at 12:05 pm.